Pensioner's dark secret

The crash that led to Eileen Farquer's exposure as a benefit fraud. Photo / Joel Ford

Eighty-three-year-old Eileen Marie Farquer fleeced the system for quarter of a century, pocketing almost $215,000 in benefit payments.

The frail-looking Te Puke pensioner managed to hide her offending for more than 25 years but her dark secret was finally uncovered after she drove into the path of a fully laden fuel tanker in March and ended up in hospital with serious injuries.

Farquer hobbled into the Tauranga District Court on Friday with the aid of a walking stick to be sentenced on five benefit fraud charges. She appeared bewildered and confused.

Farquer had earlier pleaded guilty to one charge each of making a false statement and obtaining by deception and three charges of dishonestly using a document.

Partially deaf, she needed special headphones to listen to Judge Christopher Harding and was given permission to sit in the witness box beside him rather than in the dock.

According to court documents, Farquer used the name Lee J. Strauss in 1987 to get an unemployment benefit, and continued to receive benefits in that name until June 3 - a period of 25 years.

A year later she used her real name to get another unemployment benefit which she received until December 10, 1993, when she was granted superannuation.

During that time she also filed two income review forms and an emergency benefit application using her fake identity.

As result of the car crash south of Te Puke on March 30, police received information that Farquer was receiving two benefits. On May 24 police searched her Tauranga Hospital bedroom, her site at Bledisloe Caravan Park in Little Waihi and a storage unit in Papamoa.